Monday, August 28, 2006

"Khartoum - A senior United States diplomat left Sudan without meeting President Omar al-Beshir after Khartoum rejected demands that it approve the deployment of UN peacekeepers in war-torn Darfur.

US assistant secretary of state Jendayi Frazer ended her mission to Sudan late on Sunday, a day before the UN security council was to discuss a draft resolution on the peacekeepers.

Frazer had been expected to deliver a message from US President George W Bush to al-Beshir, apparently pressing the Sudanese president to end his rejection of the UN deployment.

But al-Bashir was unable to meet the American diplomat "due to his crowded schedule," said the president's office.

Instead, Frazer handed the message to presidential adviser Majzoub al-Khalifa Ahmed, who in turn gave her a message from al-Bashir repeating his rejection of the UN force, said presidential spokesperson Mahjub Badry."---This is a dramatic example of the rapidly declining influence of the US in the region. What a slap in the face for the US envoy! Make no mistake about it, this is a direct result of Hizbullah's performance and the example it set.